Mandible Distractor With Removable Footplates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mandible distractors require a second surgical procedure for removal due to changing footplate locations and tissue growth, making it difficult to access and engage screwdrivers, and existing resorbable footplate solutions face issues with strength and bone segment stability.
Innovation Solution
A bone distractor assembly with a locking mechanism and release actuator that allows for the distraction and subsequent removal of bone segments, featuring a tube that moves between locked and unlocked positions to maintain or release footplates, and a distractor design with activation worms and sleeves for controlled translation and locking of footplates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If metallic footplates are used with resorbable materials, then the distractor can be removed without a second surgical procedure, but the strength and bone segment stability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The footplate is divided into two distinct segments: a resorbable body portion that degrades over time and a metallic retention portion that maintains structural integrity. This segmentation allows the resorbable portion to be eliminated without a second surgery while the metallic portion continues to provide mechanical support and stability to the bone segments throughout the healing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The resorbable body portion functions as a temporary, disposable structural element that provides initial support during the critical early healing phase. As it degrades and is absorbed by the body, the permanent metallic retention portion remains to maintain bone segment stability, eliminating the need for surgical removal of the entire device.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the footplate location changes during treatment, then the distractor can accommodate bone growth, but the footplates become difficult to access through the same incision
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic retention portion is designed to extend through the resorbable body portion, with its distal end protruding beyond the body portion's distal surface. This extraction of the metallic component from the resorbable matrix allows the retention portion to remain accessible through the original incision site even as the bone and soft tissue grow, enabling easy removal without requiring access to the changed footplate location.
3Stability of the object's composition
If soft and hard tissue grows over bone screws during treatment, then the distractor maintains stability, but it becomes difficult to engage the screwdriver blade into the screw recess
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic retention portion acts as an intermediary element that extends through the resorbable body portion to a location where it remains accessible to external tools. This intermediary structure allows screwdrivers or other removal tools to engage with the metallic portion even when soft and hard tissue has grown over the original screw recesses, maintaining ease of operation while the resorbable portion provides stable anchorage to the bone.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the removal of the distractor without a second surgical procedure by disengaging footplates from the distractor, maintaining stability and strength during bone growth, and allowing for resorbable materials to be left in the body, reducing complications and improving treatment outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
The activation worm is configured to engage the track, such that rotation of the worm causes the second footplate to translate relative to the first footplate
Implementation Method 2
Distractors that use resorbable footplates have been used to avoid the second surgical procedure
Data Source
AI summary
A bone distractor assembly configured to distract first and second bone segments on opposite sides of a bone gap is provided. In one embodiment the distractor assembly includes a distractor having a first coupler and a second coupler, a first footplate releasably coupled to the first coupler, a second footplate releasably coupled to the second coupler, and a locking mechanism releasably coupling the first and second footplates to the first and second couplers. The first and second footplates releasably are each configured to attach to bone. The locking mechanism includes a tube, wherein removal of the tube releases the first and second footplates from the first and second couplers.